In today’s modern times, anyone that carries a smartphone has access to an incredible amount of knowledge at their fingertips in their pocket. In fact, more knowledge than any of their ancestors ever had. This potential knowledge sitting in our pockets is a powerful tool and technology is supposed to make our lives easier than ever before.

However, we find in today’s society that continuously being connected has led to increased stress and worry about our lives. Happiness seems out of reach, but we believe we have a way you can use the knowledge in your pocket to make you a happier person. In this article we discuss the link between happiness and learning, and some great ways you can go about learning something new to get happy.

Be Your Own Headmaster

Unlike being in school where you were forced to learn for your future, taking the time to learn a new skill or new information can be an entirely voluntary task and you are your own boss about it. You’re able to choose which topic actually interests you and there’s an inherent power in that possibility. Particularly, you’ll find that you get a boost to your self-esteem and self-efficacy. Since you are the one in control of what and how much you learn, when you learn, you’re naturally left feeling more satisfied from your self-propelled learning.

Also, the longer you stick with your self-driven learning (and not succumb to stress), the more your skills grow, and the more you can see yourself improve. Just like any endeavour where you work hard, being able to see the results of your own labor is extremely satisfying. In fact, if you think about it, hobbies are typically the result of someone going out of their way to learn something new for themselves. The more proficient someone becomes at a skill, the more happiness that skill can bring them.

Boost Your Creativity

Another positive outcome from learning is the power of encountering new and novel ideas. Learning is inherently a system in which we encounter new ideas and skills and then try to incorporate them into our lives. The power in bringing new ideas and knowledge into our mind lies in the connective nature of our minds. Particularly, the notion that learning fuels our creativity. The more we learn about the world, the greater the pool of knowledge out minds have to work with when problem solving.

New knowledge can help you in unexpected ways. For instance, you decide that you have built an interest in creative writing so you sign up at an English school to practice and cultivate your writing skills. After a time, you find that you’re better able to handle your emails at work since words flow out of you faster and more easily than before. Boost your creativity and get some new skills under your belt. Your brain will be thankful for it. You never know when you’ll get to use the new skills that you learn.

Learn Outside The Classroom

Once again we come around again to that smartphone normally sitting in your pocket or purse. Learning doesn’t just have to happen in the classroom and the smartphone is a happy reminder that learning can take place anywhere and anytime. For instance, there are now more ways than ever before to learn a new language using just your smartphone. Not only can you learn skills that you are genuinely interested in, you can learn them almost anywhere now.

Of course, we should not forget about the powerhouse of learning that are video sharing websites like youtube. There are whole channels that post educational topics entirely for free online that are an amazing place to dip your toes and start learning something new. Start learning on youtube, and then consider looking into some online courses when you want to expand your knowledge.

Hopefully, we’ve been able to convince you of the positive effects that learning will have on your happiness. It truly is easier than ever before to learn something new and we feel that you should be taking advantage to boost your own happiness. Learning something new is an incredibly fun process, especially when you finally get to show off what you learned to your friends and family.

About Leila DorariLeila Dorari is an entrepreneur, freelance writer and self-improvement enthusiast from Sydney. Currently, she is spreading the word about the different challenges one can take in order to upgrade their life. In her spare time, she is either window shopping or exploring new ways to make her life more meaningful.